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New Brighton Middle

Public Grades 6-8
680th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 2,761 California Middle Schools
Better than 75% of California middle schools
Summary

New Brighton Middle is a strong-performing public middle school serving 585 students in grades 6-8 in Capitola, part of the Soquel Union Elementary district, consistently ranking in the top 25% of all California schools.

The school stands out for its stable, above-average academic results and efficient use of resources, spending less per student than many nearby schools while achieving better outcomes. It has shown remarkable success in reducing chronic student absences since the pandemic, now boasting a lower rate than the state average and outperforming comparable schools like Aptos Junior High and San Lorenzo Valley Middle. While excelling in English and Science, mathematics presents a relative challenge, a trend seen across the region.

New Brighton's consistent performance is notable when compared to other schools in the area, highlighting how district support can influence results. For instance, schools in the neighboring Pajaro Valley Unified district face much greater challenges. Meanwhile, the school successfully serves a diverse student population, showing particular strength in supporting Special Education students and making significant recent gains with English Language Learners.

585
Students ?
20.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,408
Per pupil spending ?
30.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 250 Washburn Ave.
       Capitola, CA  95010-3799

(831) 464-5660

District: Soquel Union Elementary


Feeder schools for New Brighton Middle:

Elementary:    Main Street Elementary
    Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary
    Soquel Elementary
Racial breakdown:

White:
56.2%
Hispanic:
33.8%
Two or more races:
6.2%
more
 See top rated California middle schools

 Compare New Brighton Middle to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 82nd percentile in 2013 → 75th in 2025
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (49% vs 41% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 25% of California middle schools
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2013
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school49%
District avg47%
California avg41%
680th of 2,761
California public middle schools ?
Top 25%▼ down 2 pts since 2015
See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
475th of 1,543Soquel Union Elementary among California districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202569.9680 of 276175.4%★★★★☆
202464.7792 of 278371.5%★★★★☆
202371.1662 of 278176.2%★★★★☆
202269.9684 of 274075.0%★★★★☆
201977.1550 of 271579.7%★★★★☆
201875.9514 of 248079.3%★★★★☆
201771.4639 of 250874.5%★★★★☆
201670.5648 of 249774.0%★★★★☆
201573.5561 of 247777.4%★★★★☆
201376.1426 of 237982.1%★★★★☆
201275.1431 of 225980.9%★★★★☆
201178.0340 of 223684.8%★★★★☆
201078.8335 of 217984.6%★★★★☆
200969.5530 of 206374.3%★★★★☆
200879.6296 of 200585.2%★★★★☆
200777.1353 of 199982.3%★★★★☆
200677.8327 of 180481.9%★★★★☆
200581.4267 of 177785.0%★★★★☆
200484.1218 of 176987.7%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202242.9688 of 153155.1%★★★☆☆
201953.4501 of 149166.4%★★★☆☆
201855.2423 of 136969.1%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202443.3614 of 147858.5%★★★☆☆
202361.0260 of 152182.9%★★★★☆
202237.6868 of 154043.6%★★☆☆☆
201934.6890 of 144238.3%★★☆☆☆
201837.7688 of 136449.6%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202568.4665 of 253373.7%★★★★☆
202456.2901 of 255164.7%★★★☆☆
202367.7677 of 253173.3%★★★★☆
202270.9591 of 250976.4%★★★★☆
201971.8588 of 238075.3%★★★★☆
201870.6589 of 226274.0%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202548.31072 of 239555.2%★★★☆☆
202448.31032 of 238856.8%★★★☆☆
202357.5777 of 237467.3%★★★☆☆
202254.9860 of 235963.5%★★★☆☆
201964.4595 of 221373.1%★★★★☆
201855.4780 of 207262.4%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202547.41168 of 254254.1%★★★☆☆
202444.61213 of 257953.0%★★★☆☆
202355.8854 of 253166.3%★★★☆☆
202254.4890 of 245863.8%★★★☆☆
201959.1753 of 236968.2%★★★☆☆
201854.8838 of 223062.4%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202567.5676 of 253473.3%★★★★☆
202469.6642 of 255274.8%★★★★☆
202372.4575 of 253877.3%★★★★☆
202267.4673 of 252773.4%★★★★☆
201979.4435 of 240781.9%★★★★☆
201878.3446 of 227380.4%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202565.5253 of 72665.2%★★★☆☆
202445.9396 of 70143.5%★★☆☆☆
202364.1251 of 67762.9%★★★☆☆
202245.4373 of 66543.9%★★☆☆☆
201963.6223 of 55459.7%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202559.8417 of 156673.4%★★★★☆
202444.4677 of 155256.4%★★★☆☆
202337.6830 of 153145.8%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202561.3589 of 152061.3%★★★☆☆
202454.1682 of 153755.6%★★★☆☆
202359.9581 of 154362.3%★★★☆☆
202262.7539 of 155565.3%★★★☆☆
201970.7440 of 160272.5%★★★★☆
201869.5450 of 149669.9%★★★★☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Female (2025)74th percentile~ school
Special Education (2025)73rd percentile~ school
Male (2025)73rd percentile~ school
Multi-racial (2025)65th percentile-10 vs school
White (2025)61st percentile-14 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)58th percentile-13 vs school
Hispanic (2025)55th percentile-20 vs school
Disabled (2022)55th percentile-20 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)54th percentile-21 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy58%+9 vs state
Science43%+10 vs state
Mathematics42%+4 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about New Brighton Middle

In the 2024-25 school year, 585 students attended New Brighton Middle.

New Brighton Middle ranks 680th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at New Brighton Middle are 56% White, 34% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.


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Schools in Capitola, CA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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